The Princess, Chained
by the sailor's wife
Summary: Andromeda Black knows she's the responsible one: loyal daughter, model student, Head Girl.  But you never know how tightly you're trapped until you start to struggle against the chains.  Andromeda/Ted, firstie!Marauders
1. In Which We Meet Andromeda Black

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

**Note:** in my head, Bellatrix has always been the middle sister - that's just the way she makes sense to me. I know it's not canon, but it's a small alteration to make Andromeda the oldest... and my story wouldn't work otherwise. don't let it bother you :)

Enjoy!

**-x-**

Andromeda Black, the new Head Girl, woke on her first day of classes with a feeling of dread in her stomach.

She had had a nightmare – she woke in a panic, threw off her comforter, and sat bolt upright. It took her a minute to recognize where she was: her new bedroom, the Head Girl's room. Just for her. She was alone.

Sighing deeply, she sank back into her pillows. This was not a good way to start the year. She fumbled around on her nightstand for her watch, which was new to her but had been handed down through generations of Blacks. She hadn't really wanted it – it was more than a little ancient and it had a penchant for yelling at its owners. But it had been a birthday gift, and she couldn't really say no. The tarnished silver façade was too hard to read in the dim light. "What time is it?" she asked, bracing herself. She was sure the thing hadn't been oiled in years.

"Six thirty in the morning," it screeched.

"Thank you," Andromeda said politely, but it continued anyway. "Dawn will be in 3 minutes," it shrieked tinnily. "You are to be woken at 7:45. Your first appointment is at –"

"THANK YOU!" Andromeda yelled and it shut up. She moaned and rolled back under her comforter.

Despite her exhaustion, her heart was still beating fast from her nightmare. What had it been about? She couldn't remember now. Her sisters had been there, and her mother. Something bad had been about to happen. _Well,_ she considered, _something bad has already happened._ Her memories of the night before began to filter back in, despite the fact that she'd much rather not think about it.

Sirius had always been a troublemaker. He had that grin, you know? That smirky little face. She loved the kid – he was her favorite cousin and always had been. Poor Evan Rosier just didn't stand a chance against him. Andromeda had been looking forward to having him at Hogwarts with her – though she had nearly changed her mind about that when she found out she was Head Girl. Her mother, glowing proudly at the news, had raced to Floo her sister about it. Aunt Walburga, ever the cynic, had said simply, "Dumbledore must know she's the only one who can keep Sirius in line."

Her mother had looked crestfallen, but Andromeda had only laughed. "It might true, Mother." Druella had smiled then. "Between your sister and your cousin, you'll have your hands full."

It _was_ true. Sirius worshipped his oldest cousin, though that didn't stop him from putting real cockroaches in her Cockroach Clusters or jumping on her or "accidentally" turning her nose green. It mostly just meant that Andromeda had a better chance than the rest of them at getting him to stop. Bellatrix also only listened to her older sister some of the time and Andromeda, as a prefect, wasn't allowed to hex her at school anymore. She did her best to keep her in line, but it could be tricky.

This year, however, she had already failed. Both of them. She had watched Sirius trot up to the Sorting Hat, beaming with pride at her little cousin. As the Hat took its sweet time, she had started to worry – and then it had roared out "GRYFFINDOR!"

Bellatrix shot her a deadly look from across the table. Narcissa, sitting next to her oldest sister, had turned to her. "What? That can't be right! It must be wrong. Meda, you have to fix it!" She grabbed her sister's hands imploringly. "You have to fix it!"

Andromeda glanced over to the Gryffindor table, where her cousin was being joined by a "Lupin, Remus." Sirius caught her eye, grinning like the cat that ate the pixies. Andromeda gave her best reproving glare, but she didn't have the heart to be really cruel to him.

"Andromeda!" Bella hissed. She turned back. "I'll see what I can do," she promised. "I'll talk to Dumbledore at the Head Meeting tomorrow."

"You better find out what happened," Bella said belligerently. Andromeda glared at her. "I said would, didn't I?"

Bella had stormed out of the Hall as soon as the dinner was over and spent the night fuming in the common room. Cissy, on the other hand, had spent the evening gossiping with her best friend and cousin on the other side, Amanda Rosier. Amanda's little brother Evan had been sorted in Slytherin, of course. His oldest brother, Lucas, had come up to Andromeda in the common room after the Feast. "Looks like some family is truer than the rest, eh?"

"Shut it, Lucas," she told him. "It's a mistake. Sirius just wants the attention."

"Whatever you say, Head Girl," he replied, and flashed her a mocking grin before he walked away. No one else was brave enough to approach her about it – she was no Bellatrix, but Andromeda was still a Black. Honor ran deep in their family, and Andromeda had never been known to back away from a fight. Fed up with all the sideways glances, Andromeda had retreated to her new bedroom early and spent the rest of the night trying to read herself to sleep.

And now she was awake again. Though she had calmed down from the nightmare, she was still far from calm. The stress of her family problems was a whole different cauldron of flobberworms; there was no way she could get back to sleep now. Sighing again, she got out of bed and turned up the lamps.

The Head Girl's room was small, certainly, but having her own space at Hogwarts was a luxury. After six years, Andromeda had still not quite gotten used to living with four other girls all the time. She would still have to share the bathrooms – though she had her own door – and she didn't have a fireplace, but she did have her own little desk, a window seat, and lovely bed. Her trunk was at the foot of the bed, still neatly packed. She had barely opened it last night.

She pulled out her uniform robes and set them on the bed, then began to take out her books and school supplies. She arranged them neatly on the desk, putting rolls of parchment into drawers and lining the books up in alphabetical order on the shelves. Her inkpot went in an indent in the corner; her new ornamented quill stand went next to it, and her razor for sharpening them was laid carefully on top. Item by item, she put everything in its proper spot.

The ritual was soothing. As soon as everything was arranged, she donned her robes and shut her trunk again. From her nightstand, she grabbed her Head Girl badge and her obnoxious watch. It was only 7:15.

Proper breakfast didn't start until 7:30, but she knew there would be toast and jam and coffee laid out for the early risers. She stuffed her Arithmancy and Potions textbooks into her bag with some rolls of parchment and a quill. For all the care she took her with desk, her bookbag was a different story – it just got jumbled up anyway, why even bother?

She turned out the lamps again and headed up to the common room. It was empty, though a low fire still crackled in the grate. Other than that, the room was dark. The sun wasn't high enough for any light to filter through the lake.

As dim and solemn as the common room could be, Andromeda had always felt at home there. She felt that under its pretense or grandeur, the common room really just wanted to be loved. Maybe that was foolish, as properly speaking a room couldn't _want_ anything. She chose not to care, and loved the place anyway.

She pushed the door open and made her way towards the Great Hall.

x

According to her watch, she got there at 7:25. The watch wasn't very good at exact times, and the minute hand skipped directly from one numeral to the next in increments of five minutes. Andromeda could have seven minutes or three minutes to wait until hot breakfast appeared.

She decided to chance it and wait. As she sat down at the Slytherin table, she pulled out her Ancient Runes book. It was her first class, and she hadn't reviewed it much over the summer. Though N.E.W.T.s were coming up, Andromeda wasn't quite dedicated enough to her studies to spend her summer working.

She flipped idly through the pages, make lazy mental notes of chapters to review. Fortunately, breakfast appeared before she could get too involved in her studying. Setting aside the book, she helped herself to a big plate of eggs and bacon.

Other students began to filter in as she ate. Some first-year Slytherins appeared and sat down the table from her, casting the older girl nervous glances. Andromeda was thoroughly fed up with it and was about to introduce herself as the nicest Black (whether or not it was strictly true) when her watch went off. "Time to wake up!" it squealed. "Seven forty five, wake up!"

"Thank you," Andromeda hissed, sounding almost exactly like her sister had the night before. She would have to ask her mother if there was anyway to make the damned thing shut up.

She looked away from her watch to see Doug MacMillan laughing at her from across the hall. Had it been anyone else, there was a good chance Andromeda would have hexed him right then and there – but Doug was a decent guy, and the Head Boy besides. He believed he was laughing _with_ her, she was sure.

Proving her point, he walked across the hall towards her table. "Mind if I sit?" he asked, still smiling.

It was such a well-natured smile that she couldn't frown at him. "A Hufflepuff at the Slytherin table? Are you sure?"

"Fair enough." He sat down on the bench at the neighboring Ravenclaw table. "I see you got an heirloom watch, too," he said and raised his right arm to show an ancient, dilapidated gold watch. "At least mine doesn't make that godawful noise."

Starting to relax a little, Andromeda laughed. "I was hoping you weren't laughing at me from over there. I don't need to start the year by hexing my Head Boy into the Hospital Wing."

"Laugh _at_ you? Never."

"So what's wrong with yours?" she asked, gesturing to his wrist.

"Mine? It plays a little tune every hour. A little bagpipe tune." Doug looked pained. The MacMillans were an old pureblood family, but an even older Scottish one.

"Is it that bad? Really?" Andromeda would trade her Black watch for his Scottish one any day.

"_Every hour_," he repeated. "_All night."_

She tried to look sympathetic, but Andromeda couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Curse of the old families, isn't it?"

He nodded with a yawn. "I'm off to get some food and coffee. Head meeting's at nine?"

"Yep. In the room next to the Staff office." The Hufflepuff departed with a wave. Andromeda picked up her fork, still giggling to herself. She didn't get very far into her scrambled eggs before her breakfast was interrupted again.

"Andie?" Her cousin's voice. She looked up and he was standing beside her.

"Sirius," she said, smiling warmly. "How are you?" The question on her tongue was about what happened at the Sorting – but they'd get to that. First things first.

The eleven-year-old looked more serious than she'd ever seen him before. "I _want_ to be in Gryffindor," he told her. Straight to the point, yes, that was her cousin. "I don't like Slytherin." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "_You've_ never said anything good about them."

"And when have I talked to you about Slytherin?"

He looks abashed for about half a second. "Well, never. But Bellatrix and Narcissa and all the cousins talk about Slytherin and you never do."

That was true. Andromeda was in Slytherin mostly because she was a Black. She didn't like very many of her housemates, and their absolute conviction in the Slytherin's supremacy rubbed her the wrong way. That being said, she was smart, and ambitious, and not above lying to get what she wanted. On one hand, she was almost proud of Sirius for standing up for what he thought he wanted. On the other, this would be as much her fault as Sirius', and no one would ever forgive them.

Except maybe Alphard, but he was another story. "Sirius," she said slowly, "Being in Slytherin is about being a Black. Being family. We might not always like each other, but we have to stick together."

"Like purebloods have to stick together?" he asked, derisively.

"No," she answered flatly. "You know I don't believe in that pureblood nonsense. It's about more than that – your mother has raised you and fed you and cared for you for eleven years. You know she wanted you to be in Slytherin. It's the least you can do for her. Besides, you don't know anybody in Gryffindor. Our whole family is in Slytherin."

"I don't like our family. They're mean," he muttered, looking at the ground. Andromeda knew her cousin well enough to recognize the rebellion in his expression – she had no chance at winning this argument now.

"They can be," she told him. "But they're still family. We have a duty."

With frightening perception, he snapped his eyes to her face. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

She couldn't lie to him when he called her out like that. "Not every day."

"Then why are you trying to convince me to believe it?"

Andromeda fixed him with a serious stare. "I know you think your mom and your aunt are mean. But I've fought with my mother – and with Walburga – and _it's not worth it_, Sirius. You've got to keep your head down when you can if you want to stay safe."

Her thoughts flashed to the scar down her back. She wasn't ready to have this conversation with Sirius. Not yet. Eventually, she would have to tell him – but for now, all she wanted was to keep him safe. Ignorant, yes, but safe.

He looked at her curiously, rebellion still burning in his eyes. "Maybe. But I'm still in Gryffindor." He started to walk away.

"Sirius?" Andromeda couldn't let him leave like that. He turned around. "And I still love you." He grinned at her, and she grinned back. He _was_ her favorite cousin.

**-x-**

Please let me know what you think! I know this chapter was a little slow, but it's setting up the characters. & the secrets...

also, I'm not a huge fan of the current title, if anyone has ideas please throw them my way :)


	2. The Problems with Interhouse Unity

thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/story-alerted this! it's exciting to know people are reading my little story. in this chapter we meet a few more characters, including Ted :) also, I realized when I was rereading this that my Head Girl/Boy duties are very directly inspired by those in Jewels5's story Shaken, Not Stirred. (you should read it if you haven't yet! it's excellent.)

**Disclaimer:** characters, places, anything you recognize - all property of JK Rowling.

**-x-**

Luckily, the rest of breakfast passed without a sign of Bellatrix or Narcissa. Cissa, she knew, would sleep in as late as she could, while Bella was probably still fuming and too angry to eat. Or maybe just didn't feel like talking to anyway. It was better that way, Andromeda reflected. Safer for everyone.

In an even greater miracle, not a single Howler arrived in the mail. She certainly wasn't going to write to her mother about Sirius' Sorting, and presumably neither of her sisters had had a chance yet. It was a good sign, Andromeda decided, and she opened up the Daily Prophet.

Her peaceful hour was broken up by the arrival of Professor Slughorn with the class schedules. "Andromeda," he called, "Could you help me distribute these?"

"Of course, Professor," she responded dutifully. He handed her a stack of fifth- and sixth-year schedules with a warm smile. "Did you have a good summer?" She nodded. "You didn't miss Hogwarts too much?"

"Only you," she teased. Although Slughorn could be over-the-top and obsequious, he was an excellent professor. And he knew all the best secrets.

"I'll see at the Slug Club dinner this Friday?" he asked as she started to hand out schedules.

With the brightest smile she could muster, she answered, "I'll be there." She hoped the guests were interesting this time – their last guest had been the Head of International Cooperation. Though he was undoubtedly influential, he had also had a gratingly nouveau-riche style and a droning voice.

She passed out the schedules to the students who'd made it to breakfast – Bellatrix was still notably absent. So was Charlus Greengrass, in fifth year, who Andromeda knew vaguely as one of the laziest students in the House. She handed their schedules back to Slughorn apologetically and made it to the Staff Office just on time.

Doug MacMillan joined her a minute later. They nodded at each other and waited for Professor McGonagall, the Assistant Headmistress, to arrive; she would be giving them their instructions for the year. They waited in silence for all of a minute before Doug's watch went off, keening a mournful bagpipe tune. Andromeda watched in amusement as he hit it frantically with his wand.

"Shut up! Shut – up – " he muttered.

"I rather enjoy that song," Professor Dumbledore interrupted.

The Head Students stared at him in surprise. The Headmaster smiled benevolently. "I believe you were expecting Professor McGonagall, but I have decided it would be better if I directed this first meeting."

Doug was bright red and speechless. Andromeda answered for the both of them. "Of course, Professor."

Doug's watch was still keening away as Dumbledore swept past them. He unlocked the staff door with a flick of his wand, paused, and turned around. With another flick, the bagpiping stopped. "Following this first meeting, you will have access directly to the Head Offices. Minerva will teach you the spell."

They followed him through the Staff room to a small wooden door on a side wall. "The Staff have access directly to the Head Offices at all times." Andromeda could practically hear the twinkle in his eyes as he continued, "That means _all _times. Remember that."

He showed them into the little room. A window in the side looked out over the grounds; Andromeda could see the Forbidden Forest in the distance. Dumbledore waved to several comfortable-looking chairs. "Please, sit."

Doug, still blushing, and Andromeda sat down in the cushy seats. Dumbledore himself took only a stool as he began to explain the duties of their office – setting prefect patrols, leading the prefect meetings, organizing rooms for club meetings, enforcing the basic rules of the school, and so forth. Andromeda had been vaguely aware of what was involved; she had known a few Head Students in the past and learned that it was mostly bureaucratic. The tediousness of it all was compensated by the access to the prefects' bathroom, the private bedrooms, and of course the fact that it looked really good to future employers.

The Headmaster explained all their duties succinctly and without appearing too bored. Andromeda had to wonder why he was explaining this, though; there was nothing that McGonagall couldn't have told them.

Finally, he appeared to have finished. "Those are your official duties as Head Students. You understand all of them?"

The two nodded. Then Dumbledore continued. "Then I have one more request to ask of you. You have both heard of the wizard calling himself Voldemort?"

Doug nodded again, and Andromeda murmured an assent as her heart tightened in her chest. Whoever he was, really, Voldemort's ideas had found support in her family.

The Headmaster's face was grave. "He is not the first to believe in the superiority of purebloods, and nor will he be the last. However, I believe that his movement is gaining ground. I knew him once –" He paused. "A long time ago. He cannot be allowed to become powerful. He's talented, and persuasive, and we must do all we can to stop him.

That means you two, as Heads, must do what you can here. Set an example for the rest of the school. Discourage talk of blood purity where you can. Show the younger students that Muggleborns are every bit as good as witches and wizards from ancient families. We cannot let his ideas take root at Hogwarts."

Doug paused for a moment. Every pureblood family would have members who supported Voldemort – Andromeda wondered who he was betraying as he said, "I understand."

"Miss Black?"

Whoever Doug was turning his back on, it was nothing compared to Andromeda. Her whole family was support of Voldemort. After years at Hogwarts, she had partblood friends; she disagreed with Him, she did, but she had never told her family. Voldemort and his Knights of Walpurgis were too extreme, too radical, but there was still a Black part of her that said purebloods _were_ better and that was that.

Dumbledore regarded her steadily. Something in his bright blue eyes told Andromeda that he was aware of what he was asking.

"I understand," she echoed.

The Headmaster stood up brightly. "Then I will leave you to your duties." He turned to leave.

"Oh, um, Professor?" Andromeda called after him.

"Yes, Miss Black?"

Again, she had the disconcerting impression that he knew exactly what she was thinking. "About my cousin, Sirius..."

"The Sorting Hat's decisions are final, Miss Black, there is nothing you can do. Please, take advantage of this to support inter-house friendship and unity." He said it lightly, but Dumbledore's tone was final.

"I will," Andromeda answered weakly.

"Wonderful!" The Headmaster swept out of the room.

She turned back towards the Head Boy. "Let's get to work," he chirped.

-x-

Three different prefect rotation schedules and a headache later, the pair left the Head Office. "When do we have to make the club schedule by?" Andromeda groaned.

"Next week, I think." Doug sounded much less cheerful now. "I didn't realize this would be so much work!"

"Too late now," she replied. "I've got Arithmancy now, I should go."

"Herbology. See you later!" Doug left, heading out towards the Entrance Hall. Andromeda liked him, most of the time, but the way his mood switched from grumpy to cheerful in a heartbeat unnerved her a little. There was no consistency there. Then again, she thought, it might be worse if he was just cheerful _all the time._

The halls were full of students, walking to and from their classes, and it took Andromeda a moment to realize her sister was waiting for her by a window. "Meda?" Narcissa asked, pleadingly. "Did you ask about Sirius?"

Andromeda gave her sister a little hug. She was genuinely upset, it seemed – whether it was for Sirius' sake, or the family's, Andromeda had no idea. So she decided not to care. "I did. There's nothing we can do, the Sorting is final."

Cissa let out an anguished gasp. "But– but– everyone is in Slytherin! Everyone he knows is in Slytherin!"

"I know, Cissy. Please don't cry. He's still our cousin. We'll just have to be friends with a Gryffindor."

Narcissa snuffled into her sister's shoulder. "Bella will never talk to him."

With a sigh, Andromeda wondered if Dumbledore really knew what this would do. He probably did, the old rascal. Being a Black meant becoming a Slytherin; it had never happened any other way. Andromeda was all for inter-house unity in principle – she got along with Doug, didn't she? And her best friend was in Ravenclaw. Even so, it had taken three years to convince her mother to let Lina visit during school breaks. Gryffindors were out of the question.

"No, she might not. We'll just have to set a good example, okay?" she echoed Dumbledore's earlier words. "You know, inter-house unity." It sounded hollower when she said it, though.

She felt Narcissa nod. "Now, you have to go to class. It'll be fine, Cissy. Don't worry." The younger girl looked up at her sister trustingly. With a reassuring smile, she let go and Narcissa headed away.

Now _that_ was ever a lie.

It would not be fine. If Bellatrix was anyone else, she probably could have gotten over it. But Andromeda knew full well that her sister would never deign to talk to a Gryffindor – hex one, definitely. Insult one, probably. Actually have a conversation? Never. Bella had bought into "Toujours Pur" her whole life, and it was about more than just blood with her. Her sister was – Andromeda didn't like to think about it. Bella had always been a little dangerous, a little haughty, more than a little proud. But in the past year she had changed. Or intensified, rather. She still believed in everything she always had; lately, however, she had come to believe it with an intensity that frightened Andromeda.

Bella had been an early convert to "Lord" Voldemort's movement. She had spent the summer with a group that called themselves the Knights of Walpurgis, obsessed with the importance and power of the pureblood lines. Andromeda had heard enough to know she wanted nothing to do with them – some of the things Bella said had chilled her blood. Of course, wizards were more powerful than Muggles, she wouldn't deny that. But some things were unacceptable, no matter how powerful you were.

"Magic is might, Meda," Bella had told her. "And might makes right? I don't believe that," Andromeda had answered. Her sister had just given her an insolent smile. "Just because you don't believe it doesn't mean it's not true."

Bella had always been proud and a little cruel, but something had snapped that summer: she had realized she was strong, too. "Stronger than any Muggle," was how she had put it. And something about the way she said it, the easy ruthlessness in her voice, shook Andromeda. She would never say it out loud, but in her heart she was convinced that her little sister was Muggle-hunting.

It was too awful to think about; so Andromeda buried it somewhere deep. In the corner of her mind where she kept all the other secrets locked away, safe, in a place where they couldn't hurt anyone but her. Too many bad things had happened in the Black family, and they were weighing her down.

No, it would not be fine. Not Sirius, not Bella. All Andromeda could do was hold it together, with her bare hands if need be. That was her responsibility, as the eldest, and Cissy didn't need to know the truth.

Putting it out of her mind, she hitched up her bag and walked to Arithmancy.

N.E.W.T. level Arithmancy was not a particularly easy class. What had been two sections last year had been whittled down to one – a group of seventh years who either really loved Arithmancy (unlikely) or who really needed the N.E.W.T. for their future careers. While Andromeda was mostly in the second group, there was something nice and sensible about Arithmancy. When she could understand it, that is.

She slid into a desk next to her best friend a minute before the class started. "You made it!" Lina teased her. "I thought perhaps you would spend the day in hiding, in the Head Office."

"I wish I could," she told her friend. "Cissa stopped me on the way here to cry onto my shoulder."

Lina arched an eyebrow. "You have to let that girl grow up eventually." She doodled lazy circles on her parchment; this was a discussion the two of them had had before.

"I know. I will. When she can handle herself. Maybe. Let's not talk about it." Andromeda seized the moment to change the subject. "What's this about you and Davies?"

"That, my dear, is over and has been... for weeks."

"I'm sure you want to tell me about it anyway," Andromeda teased. Apolline de Montmorency was not particularly pretty, but she was friendly and charming and had a mysteriously French name – the perfect combination for attracting boys. She was also a Ravenclaw, and tended to put her studies before her love life; so even though there was always someone hanging off her elbow, she only dated from January to March and during the summer. Not that that stopped anyone from trying.

Lina filled her in on the details they waited for Professor Chaldea to arrive. As she listened to her friend, Andromeda studied her new classmates: there were only 13 of them now, and four that Andromeda didn't know by name. Two of them, she was pretty sure, played Quidditch – but she couldn't say what houses they were in. As for the other two, she had no idea.

Lina started to ask, "What ti –" Andromeda cut her off in a rush. "No!"

Her friend gave her a funny look. "You alright there?"

She checked her watch, silently. "It's 10:05. Or near enough. I got this watch for my birthday, but it's annoying as hell. I don't know if it will answer you when _that question _is asked, or just me, but I don't want to risk it."

Lina snickered. "Family heirloom?"

"Of course, what else?"

The other girl smiled. "I'm so glad my family doesn't believe in that kind of thing."

"You would have the sappiest heirlooms -" She stopped short as the professor walked in. Professor Chaldea went straight to the board and flicked her wand; a half-filled Wenlock character chart appeared on the board. "Let's see what you remember, students. N.E.W.T.s are in nine months. We have no time to waste."

The next hour and a half was filled with frantic calculations as the professor quizzed them on number chart after number chart. Andromeda wished desperately that she had put more effort into reviewing this morning. No one else seemed to be doing much better than her, however – with the exception of Lina, who genuinely loved Arithmancy. The rest of the class were scribbling away in a panic while Lina serenely filled in tables.

At the end of the class, as Chaldea collected their scrolls, she said suddenly, "I realize you may not all know each other. Please try to meet your fellow classmates. You are dismissed."

Lina and Andromeda shared an exasperated look. Chaldea was a brilliant Arithmancer, but her understanding of people was a little lacking. Ignoring her, the pair left.

Much to Andromeda's surprise, a boy she'd never talked to before stepped in beside them as they left the classroom. "You're the Head Girl, right?" he asked. Andromeda was a little shocked at his forward attitude, but she nodded anyway.

"I'm Ted, I'm a friend of Doug's." He extended a hand. She shook it politely, if a bit coldly. "I'm Andromeda."

"I know." He smiled, like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to strike up a conversation with them, and shook Lina's hand. "I don't know your name, though."

"Apolline. But most people call me Lina."

"Very nice to meet you both," he said. "I'll see you on Wednesday!" With that, he sped off down the hall. The whole experience had taken less than a minute, but it left Andromeda a little perplexed.

"He's kind of cute," Lina said. Andromeda couldn't disagree – he wasn't handsome, not really, but he had a friendly face and wonderfully blue eyes. She asked, "He plays Quidditch, right? He looks familiar."

"You'd know better than I," Lina replied. "I've never been a big fan of Quidditch. It just seems so pointless."

"There isn't really a point. Just having fun," Andromeda told her, unconvincingly. She wasn't really a fan of Quidditch, either, but she liked cheering for her House.

"See? Why bother?" They argued good-naturedly as they went down to lunch. Neither of them had another class until the afternoon, and nothing was quite as relaxing as a leisurely lunch. Sitting together at the Ravenclaw table, the two talked about everything and nothing – Lee Davies, Chaldea's personality problems, the first thing they would do on the first Hogsmeade weekend. Andromeda loved it, the little mindless banter. It was just so... _normal._

An hour and a half later, they split up again. Andromeda had Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors, but Lina had Care of Magical Creatures with the Hufflepuffs.

"You know, it's too bad Dumbledore won't let us re-Sort," Lina said cheerfully as she waved good-bye. "You could have switched to Ravenclaw!"

"Not even a chance," Andromeda laughed. "But you're always welcome in Slytherin."

"Never gonna happen," Lena teased as she walked away. Andromeda headed off to class in a good mood, hoping that the afternoon would be normal.

**-x-**

comments? ideas? random info you're dying to share? leave a review, please!


	3. Red, or Black & Blue

**Disclaimer:** as always

Sorry for the delay! I was on vacation, and then finals... hopefully I should be able to update pretty regularly now. so, without further ado, I present chapter 3.

**-x-**

Andromeda was rudely awakened at 7:45 (more or less) the next morning by the screeching of her watch. Mostly asleep, she knocked it off her nightstand in a panic before she remembered that wouldn't do anything – the thing was Imperviused. With a groan, she tossed off her covers and picked it up off the floor. "Wake up! Wake up!" it continued, until she hit it with her wand. "Thank you!"

The worst part, she reflected, was that she had to be _gracious_. She would have loved nothing better than to yell at it to shut the hell up, but that didn't work. She had tried.

Resigning herself to being awake, Andromeda pulled the covers back up onto her bed. "Rangeo," she murmured, waving her wand at her bed. The sheets straightened and the coverlet tucked itself in. Even the pillows seemed a little fluffier. Satisfied, she smiled – that charm had taken her a while to get good at, but it was so useful. Sure, she knew if she left her bed unmade the house elves would be through to make it for her and she didn't mind that at Hogwarts, but at home in the Manor doing her own chores had felt like a little rebellion. Every day she cleaned her own room, she was defying generations of Blacks who had never deigned to even pick up their own trash.

It may have been a spectacularly pointless rebellion, but Andromeda didn't care. It was comfortably subversive. Besides, she liked having a clean room and it cost so little effort to do it herself.

She got dressed at headed down to breakfast. She still hadn't seen Bella since the Entrance Feast – the younger girl hadn't shown up for dinner last night and Andromeda had spent the evening by the lake, talking to Lina and her other friends. She was avoiding the Common Room and sisters deliberately. Perhaps it was cowardly, but Andromeda just wanted one night away from their drama and neediness. She was only seventeen, after all.

As usual, she was one of the first people at breakfast. She had just started eating when Narcissa slid onto the bench across from her.

"Good morning," Andromeda said through a mouthful of food. Cissa, still bleary-eyed with sleep, gave her a look of reproach. "Don't talk with your mouth full," she reprimanded.

Grinning, Andromeda swallowed her food. "Not even a hello? Why are you up so early?"

Narcissa pointedly finished her mouthful of toast before replying, "I couldn't sleep. Bella spent the whole night pacing and waiting for you to come in, she wouldn't leave me alone."

Andromeda felt guilty for a moment. Maybe she should have been braver and gone back to talk to her sisters. She just hadn't wanted to fight on the first day of the term... but keeping an eye on Bella was her responsibility, she had made it her responsibility. And she was Head Girl now, she needed to face up to these uncomfortable situations.

Even if she didn't want to. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'll talk to Bella today."

Narcissa smiled gratefully and took a sip of her tea. "Thank you, Meda. She just doesn't respect me the way she respects you."

That was true, for the moment. "I know, Cissy. I'll tell her to lay off."

They ate in friendly, sleepy silence for a few minutes before the post arrived, and dropped an uncomfortable situation right onto Andromeda's plate.

"Shit!"

Narcissa didn't even reprimand her for language; she was staring speechlessly at the brutally red Howler. Andromeda grabbed the envelope by a corner and sprinted out towards the Entrance Hall.

She realized as she hit the door that the Head Office was just as close and much more private, but six years of habit died hard. The thing was about to explode – biting her lip, she peeled it open gingerly.

"ANDROMEDA BLACK," her mother's voice boomed out, "HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN? TEN GENERATIONS AND MORE OF BLACKS IN SLYTHERIN HOUSE –"

Students on their way to breakfast were stopping, open-mouthed, to stare at Andromeda and the letter she was holding. She felt her face flush as crimson as the envelope.

"– DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY NAME, SIRIUS IS TOO YOUNG TO KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING – YOU WERE TO KEEP HIM IN LINE, ANDROMEDA! NOT IN GRYFFINDOR –"

She slid down against the wall as her mother continued her tirade, which was starting to sound familiar.

"DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST BLACK IN GRYFFINDOR? FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO! DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED? HE –"

There was a gaggle of first years at the foot of the stairs, looking nervously between her and the door to the Great Hall. She glared at them. They backed up in a rush and one of them tripped over the bottom step; Andromeda fought the urge to laugh.

"– AND TELL SIRIUS HE'S GETTING ONE TOO!" Her mother's voice suddenly dropped several decibels. "And give Bella and Cissy my love."

Andromeda snorted. "No love for me, then?" she asked the envelope. It burst into flames. "If you say so."

She stayed on the floor next to the ashes of the Howler. What had she just been saying about uncomfortable situations? She could still feel her cheeks burning – she couldn't go back in the Great Hall blushing like a Weasley. No, she would just wait out here until she was normal again. Just a little longer...

Another group of nervous first-years was coming down the stairs, but this gaggle of girls seemed more concerned about something behind them. Andromeda watched them curiously as they hurried down the steps, giggling and casting furtive glances over their shoulders.

"HAHA!" a boy shrieked, and the girls screamed and ran into the Great Hall. A pair of first-year boys came racing down the steps behind them, pet toads in hand.

Andromeda grinned despite herself. She knew this troublemaker.

"No running in the hallways!" she called, and the pair stopped short. Sirius, to his credit, looked slightly worried. She stood up and walked towards them.

"Gryffindor?" she asked the unknown boy. He nodded. Sirius whispered, "That's the Head Girl," in his ear and his blue eyes grew wide.

"We were just having fun, Andy," Sirius pleaded. "We weren't going to do anything, promise!" He had his best puppy-dog face on, and Andromeda had to fight the urge to smile at him and ruffle his hair. Though, she realized later, the embarrassment of that might have been more effective than taking away points.

Instead, she put her hands on her hips, stern. "What's your name?"

"James Potter," the other boy said. "I – we weren't going to do anything!"

She paused threateningly, then relaxed. "You're not in trouble this time," she informed him. "But treat your toad more nicely in the future. Off to breakfast, James."

He ran to the Great Hall without a second glance. Sirius made to follow him, but she caught him by the back of his robes. "Not so fast, coz."

He gulped. She laughed. "You're not in trouble from me, don't worry. But my mother sent me a letter, and I'm sure your mother has too."

"About me being in Gryffindor?"

She nodded. "So – what do you know about Howlers?"

-x-

Sirius handled his Howler with remarkable grace for an eleven-year-old. Following Andromeda's advice, he had also sprinted with it out of the hall – not that that really stopped anyone from hearing it, but at least they could pretend. Andromeda herself noticed more averted gazes than usual when she went back to her breakfast, but no one mentioned it. She kept her head high and proud as she finished her toast and headed to Charms. Besides Cissa's sympathetic look, the rest of her House treated her as though nothing had happened.

She knew them well enough to know they would start gossiping as soon as she was out of earshot, but she didn't really care. Sooner or later one of them would say it to her face, and she would deal with it then.

The rest of her classes passed normally. McGonagall pulled her and Doug aside after Advanced Transfiguration to tell them the spell and the password to enter the Head Offices; in Charms and in Ancient Runes a few of her classmates were unusually polite, and that was it.

At dinner things started to heat up. Bellatrix had finally shown up for a meal at the same time as her sisters; she nodded curtly to Andromeda as she made her way to her seat.

"After dinner."

Andromeda nodded. "Whenever you want," she replied. Bella didn't smile, exactly, but her face was slightly less grim as she sat down with her fifth-year friends.

Lucas Rosier sat across from her. "Have a nice day, Andromeda?" he asked acidly.

Lucille Greengrass slid in beside her. "Leave her alone, Lucas," she said with a glare.

"It's fine, Lucille," Andromeda said. Lucille was her closest friend in her House, but Andromeda didn't need someone else fighting her battles. "Something you want to say, Rosier?"

"I was just wondering if the stress was getting to you. You know, of disappointing your family."

Arching an eyebrow, Andromeda said, "I didn't know I was."

Nonplussed but persistent, Rosier continued. "Oh, the Howler this morning was just a little goodbye note? I can't imagine what it would sound like if my aunt was truly mad at you."

"Just a little reminder of family history," she said calmly. "Some things can't be repeated too often. Mother just doesn't want us to forget how important Blacks have been to Hogwarts. How many Rosier Head Boys have there been, Lucas? Headmasters? I can't remember."

His acid grin slipped into anger. Andromeda gave her best cold smile. "There are none, are there?"

Lucas stood up with a scowl and stomped away; Lucille crowed beside her. "Well done, Andromeda."

She smiled half-heartedly. Lucas was a scoundrel and a fool and she was glad she had shut _him_ up – but there would be more where that came from, and she wasn't looking forward to dealing with it.

The rest of the meal was uneventful; Lucille filled her in on the gossip that didn't involve her or her family. The Blacks weren't the only ones who had started following Lord Voldemort that summer – the Greengrasses weren't involved, but Lucille knew exactly who was. She pointed out names and faces from other pureblood families who had joined the cause. "I think it's all a bit ridiculous, myself," Lucille said. "The Knights of Walpurgis are just pageantry, really." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Though I do love a bit of pageantry myself."

Andromeda agreed absentmindedly. She didn't care about the pageantry. She wanted to know what was behind the show – what Bella had really gotten into. Lucille didn't seem to know; ridiculous or not, she was fascinated by the mystery and glamour that surrounded Knights. Pureblood scions meeting at the witching hour, dressed in their finest ancient robes; secret rituals conducted at dawn to ensure a new era of pureblood power.

"It all sounds a little... sixteenth century to me," Andromeda said. Lucille laughed. "Of course it is, Meda – isn't it wonderful?"

"It's a little weird," she said. "I mean, really? It's not like the old families are going anywhere."

Lucille groaned. "You're smart, Meda, so don't tell me you don't see what's happening – ever since the Grindelwald war, the Minister of Magic has been a Mudblood. We can't expect people like that to understand what's best for wizards! They just can't understand our world."

"I know that," Andromeda replied thoughtfully. "They don't know what wizarding families really need, obviously. But it's just a little moment – barely thirty years. That would be _short_ for a Goblin war."

"The Knights just want to make sure it stays short," Lucille answered. The conversation turned back to lighter subjects as they finished their dinner. When the food disappeared, Andromeda glanced around for Bellatrix; the younger girl was already on her way out.

"'Scuse me, Luce, I've got to catch up with my sister," she said. With a nod of understanding, Lucille gestured for her to go ahead. Andromeda flashed her a quick smile, then started speedwalking towards the exit.

She got there just a little too late. Bella was standing over some poor first-year in the Entrance Hall, her wand out. Andromeda shoved her way through the crowd. "What are you doing, Bella?" she cried.

"He tried to trip me," her sister answered flatly.

"No, he didn't!" a familiar voice yelled from under Andromeda's elbow. Sirius stepped in front of his cousin. "You just _hexed_ him," he insisted.

Andromeda looked from her cousin to her sister desperately. She didn't want to take points from Slytherin; she was sure Sirius was right but she hadn't actually seen anything. Before she could make up her mind, Bella decided it for her.

"I don't talk to traitors," she hissed, and her wand sparked; Sirius screamed and collapsed.

White-hot fury shot through Andromeda. "That is _it_, Bella," she snapped. "Fifty points from Slytherin and if you so much as touch your wand before I talk to you I will take off more, so help me Merlin. Leave!"

Andromeda turned away as Bella slunk off, angrier than she had ever been before. She grabbed her cousin's arm. "What are you all staring at?" she demanded of the crowd. "Sirius, are you okay?"

He was covered in purple-brown thorns, but he nodded gamely.

She pulled him up, ignoring the pain in her own hands, and turned to the other first year Bella had hexed. "What about you?"

He tried to answer, but he was having a hard time standing up – his legs kept giving out. Andromeda rattled off the countercharm to the Jelly-legs Jinx. "Thank you!" he said. He gave her an adoring look. It would have been funny if Andromeda wasn't already furious.

"Name?"

"Remus Lupin," he answered. She remembered the name vaguely from the Sorting

"Of course you're a Gryffindor," she muttered. "Remus, take Sirius to the Hospital Wing please. Have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you, too, while you're there. You know where it is?"

He hesitated. "I'll take them," someone volunteered – another Gryffindor. but one in her own year. "Thanks, Fabian. I'll check on you later, Sirius," she promised, and the three of them left.

The Head Girl surveyed the rest of the crowd. "What?" she asked. "You don't remember where your common rooms are?"

They scattered, and Andromeda went to face her sister.

-x-

Bellatrix was waiting in a chair by the fire. Everyone else in the room had found a spot as far away from her as they could. Andromeda was in no mood for sitting down.

"What was that, Bella?" she demanded.

"He tried to trip me," Bella repeated.

"If you go out looking for a fight then you're going to find one," Andromeda said. "You're telling me it was a coincidence the kid was a Gryffindor?"

Bella shrugged. Around the common room, low conversations ceased entirely

"Nothing wrong with fighting Gryffindors," Bella said mutinously.

"There is when it's your cousin."

"His choice, not mine. Sirius knows what he's done." Her sister shifted restlessly in the chair and straightened up, defiantly.

Andromeda wanted to scream, to shake Bella until she saw sense. Instead she held her ground. "Just because he's in a different House doesn't mean he's not still part of the family. It just means we have to make him more part of the family than ever, remind him that a Black is a Black no matter where he sleeps at night."

Bella grunted. "Says you."

"What does _that _mean?" she snapped, and saw the glint in Bella's eye a second too late. A fight was exactly what Bella wanted, and Andromeda had stepped right into it.

"_You're_ the one who's best friends with a Ravenclaw," she spat. "_You're_ the one spouting nonsense about House unity. You could be fighting for _us_, for the purebloods, but instead you're at Slughorn's parties talking to filth and _Mudbloods_ – you care more about yourself than our family's _honor_."

She knew Bella was baiting her, and she rose to it anyway. "Our _honor? The Black family honor?_ What about yourself, Bellatrix? You think hexing everyone who looks at you sideways does anything for your _honor?_ That losing points daily because you don't care enough to show up to your classes reflects _well_ on the family? That hexing eleven-year-olds in the _Great Hall_ is _honorable?_"

She had been drawing closer to her sister with every accusation, and now she was standing in front of her. Dropping her voice to a haughty whisper she said, "Don't _ever_ do this again, Bella. The Blacks are a _family,_ and our business is our own."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bella reach for her wand. Quicker than she'd ever moved before, Andromeda grabbed her sister's arm.

"Don't touch me," Bella hissed and yanked her arm away.

"If you even think about hexing me," Andromeda promised, "I will put you in the Hospital Wing."

"You could try," Bellatrix retorted, but she let go of her wand. Without another word, she stalked off to her dorm.

As soon as Bella had disappeared, Andromeda collapsed into an armchair. Bella had always been the most violent of her family, but Andromeda had never actually been afraid of her. Until now. There had been such pure hatred in her sister's eyes for a moment that Andromeda had honestly thought Bella would curse her, right there in the common room.

She was almost sorry she'd threatened her like that. It was the kind of thing her father would say, or Walburga – a promise straight from her Black ancestors. Andromeda had never wanted to be like them, never wanted to be that cruel... and yet here she was, threatening her own sister.

Would she actually be able to do it? She didn't know. She wasn't sure. If her sister raised her wand against her, Andromeda thought there was chance she could curse Bella.

She didn't want to find out. With a deep sigh, she stood up again. It was her turn to go to the Hospital Wing this time – to check on Sirius. She swept out of the common room with all the grace she could muster, and went to learn the damage.

**-x-**


End file.
